Twin Cities: Who says scientists can't be conquerors?

Chapter 57 Defeating the Demon, the Mage's Calamity

Aaron looked at the notification that suddenly popped up on the black box again.

After confirming that the "Demon-Defeating Stone" on it was exactly what he was thinking about, he grabbed the letter that had been pushed back halfway without hesitation.

"I promise you!"

Aaron was afraid that if he spoke any slower, Mel would regret it.

His decisive manner surprised even Mel.

"How...are you okay?"

"Mr. Aaron, you made the wisest decision. On behalf of myself and Piltover, I thank you."

Mel couldn't understand why Aaron's attitude had changed so drastically.

However, given that the final outcome was positive, she decided not to delve into it further, but instead smiled and extended her hand, wishing both parties a pleasant collaboration.

Aaron, being quite tactful, also extended his hand and shook hands with Mel.

However, he was somewhat absent-minded at the moment, his thoughts drifting far away to the wider world beyond the twin cities:

Whether it's the "anti-magic self-defense armor" mentioned in the new order or the "demon-slaying runestone" sample provided by the black box, they are essentially countermeasures against magical forces.

In the game, that would be considered a high-end "magic resistance equipment"!

Through the transformation of the Hillco Group, Aaron now has a basic armed force of his own, capable of physical combat.

In addition, there is the "newly added" Cheng Ying tactical mech Zaun.

It is no exaggeration to say that he now possesses the offensive and defensive capabilities of conventional means, and even on paper, he has surpassed Piltover, which only has law enforcement officers but no army.

The problem is that this is merely a "conventional approach," and the results are limited to observations from the perspective of two cities.

If we look outward—

Demacia, seemingly a land where magic is forbidden, possesses the world's most powerful magic-powered, anti-magic statues.

Despite its seemingly sordid and chaotic nature, Bilgewater possesses the only remaining rule-based true god faith in Runeterra, and has single-handedly withstood the Erosion of Souls for over a century.

The seemingly peaceful and tranquil Ionia harbors countless supernatural powers, which it simply keeps hidden.

This doesn't even include the more dangerous Freljord and Shurima.

It could be said that in Runeterra, the conventional level of force, such as guns, cannons, and swords, that dominates the Twin Cities is actually quite weak.

What is more widely used is precisely the so-called magical power that Aaron could hardly master through scientific research and invention alone!

In the past, even though Aaron hadn't even replicated the Cheng Ying mech, he always had a worry:

Whether it's out of necessity or by taking the initiative to approach.

What if one day Zaun, or rather, I myself, encounters extraordinary magical power?

Are we supposed to rely on shotgun chainsaws and swords to fight the noble mage hand-to-hand?

Are you kidding me...?

With the emergence of the Cheng Ying mech, this worry, though not yet realized, has not disappeared either, and still lingers deeply in Aaron's heart.

So when he saw that the "membrane runestone" in the "order" from Mel was the sample provided by the black box, which was said to be able to resist most magical forces.

Although he didn't understand why the black box suddenly collected Mel's "fantasy" and formed a new "order" - after all, logically speaking, the orderers of "orders" should all come from their original world.

But now that an "order" has appeared, and the sample is the "Demon-Defeating Runestone," which I desperately need and can greatly compensate for my shortcomings, then...

Aaron knew that even hesitating for half a second would be disrespectful to the Demon Slayer!

Despite its simple name, that thing seems to be a bankrupt version of the Demacia Anti-Magic Stone.

However, unlike the anti-magic stone which is essentially a storage of magic, the Demonbane, known as the "scourge of mages," is the only known creation that truly and naturally counters magical power!

If Aaron had it as a research sample, perhaps it wouldn't be long before those powerful beings he could only look up to wouldn't seem so terrifying anymore...

"Alright, Representative Mel, if there's nothing else, you may leave."

"I will keep you updated on the progress of the collaboration, and I also hope that you can keep me informed about your mother, Ambissa."

Aaron suppressed his excitement, stood up amicably, and gestured to Mel not to linger.

Although he has now agreed to cooperate with Mel and wade into this murky water, he still needs to deal with the immediate issues first, given what happened at Stillwater Prison.

Just like he and Hilko had said before, they needed to have a clear division of labor:

Hilco shut down the luminous production line, while Aaron prepared to guide the arriving law enforcement officers to the ditch area.

At this point, Mel, as a Piltover council member, became somewhat of a hindrance.

Eh?

wrong……

As Aaron thought about this, he suddenly realized that Mel, who was standing in front of him, was probably the most powerful member of the Piltover Council.

He now seems perfectly capable of trying to glean some information from the other party about the movements of the law enforcement officers, as well as Piltover's attitude towards the Stillwater prison incident.

"Wait a moment, Representative Mel, something just occurred to me."

Aaron called out to Mel.

He pointed towards Piltover: "In a few hours, it'll be the 200th anniversary of Progress Day, right?"

"Yes."

Mel didn't understand what Aaron meant.

However, she and Aaron shared similar feelings, both immersed in the joy of their plan's success, so she jokingly remarked:

"What? Does Young Master Aaron suddenly feel like spending a day in Piltover? I'd welcome you anytime!"

"That's not relevant. I was thinking that even law enforcement officers take turns having days off during the Progress Day celebrations, right?"

"That makes sense... I understand."

Mel immediately understood the veiled meaning in Aaron's words.

She suddenly stopped in her hurry to leave, turned around and sat down, then looked at Aaron with a half-smile:

"Are you trying to find out about the recent movements of the law enforcement officers from me? After all, even though you won't admit it, but..."

Mel pointed to the Shadow Armor standing solemnly in the backyard.

"I can't think of anything other than this huge thing that could destroy half of Stillwater Prison."

"..."

Aaron did not respond directly.

He remained silent, his gaze meeting Mel's without flinching.

This is clearly stating their position:

If you want our cooperation to go smoothly, you'd better keep this "guess" to yourself and comply with my attempts to gather information.

"Alright, I admit I was a bit offensive, so let's not talk about this anymore."

"How about something else you're sure to be interested in?"

The shrewd Mel reacted quickly and immediately stopped mentioning the mecha.

She placed her hands on her lap with great elegance and uttered a piece of news that Aaron had never even considered—

"Because of the Stillwater prison incident, Jess felt that Piltover could no longer tolerate Urgot, so he convened a meeting of council members overnight to vote on the matter."

"Finally, for the first time, we've postponed the Progress Day celebrations. Tonight, we've brought law enforcement officers to Zaun to thoroughly investigate and arrive at a result that's acceptable to everyone!"

Progress Day celebrations postponed?

Have we arrived in Zaun tonight?

Aaron was struck by these two pieces of news, and his eyes twitched involuntarily.

This was completely beyond his expectations.

If what Mel said is true, then his action of having Hilco shut down the luminous production line is meaningless—if the law enforcement officers didn't find it, they wouldn't bother to look for it; if they did find it, there's no need to shut it down now.

He glanced at Mel and noticed that Mel must have sensed his emotional fluctuations, as she had a faint smile on her face.

"Okay, thanks for the message."

Aaron composed himself, trying his best not to reveal any flaws.

Now that he has learned such important information from Mel, there are many things he needs to do immediately.

For example, guiding law enforcement officers to the sewer area.

Aaron needed them to pave the way for the Zaunites and see what Urgot's so-called proving grounds really were...

"I haven't finished speaking."

After Aaron finished expressing his gratitude, Mel suddenly took the initiative to interrupt Aaron's thoughts, as if he were the one taking the lead.

She raised an eyebrow:

"After we arrived in Zaun, something coincidental happened that you might find interesting."

"What?"

"We met three girls near the Bridge of Progress."

"One is the daughter of the Jiraman family, and the other is Jinx, who is by your side. They both plan to go to Piltover via the Bridge of Progress."

"As for the third one, she has short pink hair, and her relationship with the other two seems somewhat complicated, and..."

Mel continued.

She carefully observed the changes in Aaron's expression and finally noticed the unexpected surprise on his face—

"Jinx seems to call her... 'older sister'!"